Addressing a joint press conference with Steinmeier and Amado, Mukherjee said their meeting was a good opportunity to take stock of the progress made since the seventh India-EU summit held in Helsinki in October, 2006. The major areas of cooperation agreed under the Joint Action Plan have made progress and the dialogue and consultation mechanisms have been strengthened, he said. The External Affairs Minister cited as a significant event President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg last month, the first by an Indian President. At the Helsinki summit, both sides had agreed to launch negotiations on a broad-based trade and investment agreement. Mukherjee said. "We look forward to an early launch of the negotiations," he said.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/454989